MEM

Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. (all Scripture NAS - New American Standard - unless noted)

Have you ever stopped to think about light? In the western world we take our electric lights for granted and never give it a second thought when we flip the light switch to illuminate a darkened room.

Why do we use light? Mostly to see; to illuminate our path; to keep from tripping; to get something accomplished. Light represents the day, life, truth, understanding, goodness, righteousness, activity, fellowship with Elohim and His Word; to name a few.

What is the opposite of light? Darkness, which is the absence of light. Darkness could represent death, sin, wickedness; night, sleep, non-activity, a state of non-production, separation from Elohim

(God).

In our moral walk we need to see clearly the true path. In Scripture we are told much about the need to walk in the light; to be a light. Think about this as we consider some of these Scriptures.

Yeshua is the Light - follow Him;

this isour SPS(specific purpose statement):

John 8:12

Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life."

1John 1:6

If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;

From the very beginning the Creator brought light to this earth. He also brings light (life) to our darkened nature. The sun, moon and stars, fire and lamps can be as object lessons for us.

Light is good:

Genesis 1:4-5

God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light day, and the darkness He called night...

Light for the way:

Nehemiah 9:12 "

And with a pillar of cloud You led them by day, And with a pillar of fire by night To light for them the way In which they were to go.

No light:

Job 18:5 "

Indeed, the light of the wicked goes out, And the flame of his fire gives no light.

Job 38:15 "

From the wicked their light is withheld...

His light:

Psalm 4:6

…Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O LORD!

Psalm 18:28

For You light my lamp; The LORD my God illumines my darkness.

Psalm 27:1

…The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear?…

Psalm 119:105

Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

Our prayer:

Psalm 43:3-4

(NLT)Send out your light and your truth;

let them guide me.

Let them lead me to your holy mountain,

to the place where you live.

There I will go to the altar of God,

to God--the source of all my joy.

Yeshua is the Light:

The Apostle John testified of the Light:

1 John 1:5

This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.

Yeshua testifies that He is the Light of the world:

John 8:12

Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world..."

John 9:5

"While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world."

We are to be a light also:

Matthew 5:14-16

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Ephesians 5:8-9

for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth),

Called out of darkness into His Light:

1Peter 2:9

But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

Those who practice evil hate the Light

John 3:19-20

"This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. "For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

Warning!

2 Corinthians 11:14

No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

2 Corinthians 4:4

in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

2 Corinthians 6:14

Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?

Isaiah 5:20

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

Thy Kingdom come - Your Kingdom of Light:

Isaiah 60:19-20 "

No longer will you have the sun for light by day, Nor for brightness will the moon give you light; But you will have the LORD for an everlasting light, And your God for your glory. "Your sun will no longer set, Nor will your moon wane; For you will have the LORD for an everlasting light, And the days of your mourning will be over.

Colossians 1:12-13

giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,

Revelation 21:22-27

I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Walk in the Light. Remember His Word -

Psalm 119:105Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. YHVH’s blessings on all who seek to be washed by His Word and to be clothed in the light of His presence.

Numbers 6:24-26 The LORD bless you, and keep you: The LORD make his face shine upon you, and be gracious unto you:
The LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.

Proverb

Stay in the LIGHT

Proverbs 4:18

But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, That shines brighter and brighter until the full day.

Proverbs 6:23

For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light; And reproofs for discipline are the way of life

Proverbs 13:9

The light of the righteous rejoices, But the lamp of the wicked goes out.

Saying (s)

" Be Proactive, means being responsible for your life. You are not a victim of circumstances; you are exactly what you choose to be." Stephen R. Covey

Too many times we fine ourselves or others claiming we are just victims of circumstances. I challenge you to consider why you find yourself in difficult circumstances and see if you were not the one really at fault. We are so quick to blame the government, the weather, the boss or someone else and not ourselves. You might also ask the Creator if it is He trying us, testing or correcting us. Also ask Him to give us insight (light) on how to correct our circumstances so we might be a light for Him to others.

Bible Quiz

To whom did Yeshua say, "I am the resurrection and the life… Do you believe this"?

Which two books in the Old Testament do not contain the name of God"?

Where was John when he received the revelation?

Being set free from sin, the benefit one reaps leads to what?

What did Abraham finally offer instead of Isaac?

Whose dreams did Joseph interpret while in prison?

Who said, "You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy and he has been a fighting man since his youth"?

Humility

In our pursuit of humility:

"If we feel that this life (the life Christ came to reveal and to impart) is too high for us and beyond our reach, it must all the more urge us to seek it in Him. It is the indwelling Christ who will live this life in us. If we long for it, let us above everything seek the secret of the knowledge of the nature of God, the secret of which every child of God is to be a witness: nothing but a vessel, a channel through which the living God can manifest the riches of His wisdom, power and goodness." Andrew Murray

Yeshua said He was the light of the world. We, in-turn, have to be a witness to that light; how else can we be that witness unless we are a vessel through which He can manifest Himself?

John 8:12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life."

Matthew 5:16 "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

1Peter 2:9 But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

Did you know:

When you are good on the inside, it will show on the outside.

Lighter Side

Children who watch television night and day will go down in history - not to mention mathematics, geography and grammar… (Sad but true.)

When a small girl was asked, "Where is your home?" she replied, "Where mother is."

Laugh a lot, and when you are older all your wrinkles will be in the right places.

If we should lock up all the feebleminded, who would write our hit songs?

Virus is a Latin word used by doctors to mean, "Your guess is as good as mine."

Everyone is ignorant - only on different subjects.

You don’t have to be much of a musician to toot your own horn.

Why doesn’t glue stick to the inside of the bottle?

How much deeper would the ocean be if sponges didn’t grow in it?

Thought

Always Remember Those Who Serve

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a young boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. "How much is an ice cream Sunday?" asked the boy. "Fifty cents" replied the waitress. The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied a number of coins in it. "How much is a dish of plain ice cream?" he inquired. Some people were now waiting for a table and the waitress was a bit impatient. "Thirty-five cents" she brusquely replied. The little boy again counted the coins. "I’ll have the plain ice cream" he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and departed.

When the waitress came back, she began wiping the table and then swallowed hard as what she saw. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies-her tip. Author Unknown

The hand that gives, gathers.

C.M. Prentz

A Story

Wishing to encourage her young son’s progress on the piano, a mother took her boy to a Paderewski concert. After they were seated, the mother spotted a friend in the audience and walked down the aisle to greet her.

Seizing the opportunity to explore the wonders of the concert hall, the little boy rose and eventually explored his way through a door marked "No Admittance’.

When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered that the child was missing.

Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights focused on the impressive Steinway on stage. In horror, the mother saw her little boy sitting at the keyboard, innocently picking out "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star".

At that moment, the great piano master made his entrance, quickly moved to the piano , and whispered in the boy’s ear, "Don’t quit. Keep playing." Then leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child and he added a running obbligato.

Together, the old master and the young novice transformed a frightening situation into a wonderfully creative experience. The audience was mesmerized.

That’s the way it is with our heavenly Father. What we can accomplish on our own is hardly noteworthy. We try our best, but the results aren’t exactly gracefully flowing music. But with the hand of the Master, our life’s work truly can be beautiful. Next time you set out to accomplish great feats, listen carefully you can hear the voice of the Master, whispering in your ear, "Don’t quit. Keep playing." Feel his loving arms around you. Know that His strong hands are there helping you turn your feeble attempts into true masterpieces.